Sirius
Sirius is a universe in the multiverse. Sirius's world is unique in that its monstrous humanoids are sapient, whereas on most worlds they are monsters. Sirius also has a science-fiction level of technology, far above the technological level of most worlds. The political landscape on Sirius is primarily driven by conflicts between eight major factions. Factions * Locus, the Sky Kingdom, is a theocratic city of mages which floats in the sky. Thousands of years ago, powerful mages used magic to literally build the city on top of clouds. They drove out anyone who couldn't use magic, forcing them to live on the surface, a place that Locans dismissively refer to as simply "Below," so that they could literally look down on them from their floating sky city. Social standing in Locus is based on magical ability, so those with weak magic are often treated as second-class citizens and many choose to leave to make their life Below. Locus is a theocracy, run by the Church of Cats, a religion which worships Ceiling Cat as a god and considers cats to be not only sacred but themselves divine. Arcane magic is also accepted as long as it comes from careful study; those with innate magical talent such as sorcerers or warlocks are feared and distrusted and are usually driven out. Of course, divine magic gained from druidism or the worship of any other gods is strictly prohibited. Locus has an aesthetic similar to that of the ancient Egyptians on Earth. Locus believes the Cult of Khas are blasphemers worshiping false gods, and sees the Conan Horde as a scourge of evil which must be purged. * The Conan Horde is a loosely organized and steadily growing alliance of various types of undead raised and controlled by the lich necromancer Cona. They live underground, out of the sun, in a sprawling underground cavern complex. But Cona plans to one day blot out the sun so that her horde can take the surface world from the living. The Conan Horde has an aesthetic similar to the gothic vampire settings of Earth. The Conan Horde is under constant attack both by Locus, who believe them to be a scourge of evil, and by the Coven of Niah, who believe them to be a perversion of the natural cycle of life and death. * The Coven of Niah is an exclusive coven of female elven witches who live deep in the woods. They worship the earth mother goddess Niah, and draw their magical power from their connection to the life force of the world itself. While individual members of the coven may differ in opinion, the group as a whole tends to be somewhat misandrist. The Coven of Niah has an aesthetic similar to Wicca on Earth. The Coven sees both the Conan Horde, a perversion of life's natural cycle, and the Ettin, artificially created life forms, as unnatural and against Niah's order. * The Ettin, a new race of robotic and cybernetic life forms who gained sapience. Those non-magical people who were cast out of Locus began experimenting with science and technology in place of magic. Soon they had built a number of great metropolises around the world full of wondrous advanced technology. Eventually they began working on artificial intelligence and cybernetic augmentation, but the robots they created rebelled against their creators and took over the metropolises for themselves. Naming themselves the Ettin, these artificial life forms are hostile to organic races and are constantly expanding their territory. The Ettin have an aesthetic similar to sci-fi on Earth. The Ettin hate all organic life, and in turn are hated by those who hate technology, namely the Coven of Niah, who see them as unnatural, and the tribes of Vir, who eschew technology altogether. * Vir is a frozen, nearly inhospitable mountainous region. The Virans who do live there are an exceptionally hearty people who travel in nomadic tribes. The Virans are a shamanic and animistic people, worshiping animal spirits, beast totems, and the like. They eschew technology altogether, preferring instead to focus on their spirituality and honing their bodies to physical perfection. Each Viran tends to associate with a particular animal spirit, and their unique brand of shamanic magic, called Skinwalking, allows them to shapeshift into the form of their personal spirit animal. Vir's aesthetic is a cross between Native Americans and Shaolin monks on Earth. Vir eschews technology, so they hate the Ettin for being artificial metal people and they hate the Sabre Fleet for their excessive use of technology. * The Sabre Fleet is a fleet of pirates who raid and pillage up and down the coasts. The Sabre Fleet makes use of some advanced technology left over from the Ettin's creators mixed with magic to create new highly efficient vessels and weaponry. The fleet consists of sailing ships as well as motorized ships and even airships; they are armed with mounted gunpowder cannons, flamethrower cannons, lightning cannons, etc. The current admiral of the fleet is a gnome named Bladebeard, and many (though not all) of the pirates are gnomes due to their talent at tinkering with the technology. The Sabre Fleet's aesthetic is a cross between 18th century pirates and steampunk on Earth. The Sabre Fleet's use of technology is hated by Vir, and they are locked in a bitter conflict with the Spider Clan of Roku over an age-old rivalry. * Roku is a nation of monsters and monstrous humanoids. Thousands of years ago, it was founded by a group of orcs, goblins, and kobolds who had been subject to harassment, prejudice, and oppression by the other sapient races. Treated like monsters despite their sapience in this world, the monstrous humanoids decided to build a hidden nation among the monster-infested wilds, using magic to make their cities invisible from the outside. However, Roku became subjugated and terrorized by Khas, an ancient red dragon. Many kobolds, being descended from dragons themselves, followed Khas willingly, but the others rose up and together managed to slay Khas and free themselves. After that, dragon worship was no longer tolerated within Roku, and many kobolds and other followers of Khas fled. Roku has a parliamentary government, but its current dominant party is the Spider Clan, a secretive order of spies, assassins, and mercenaries for hire who incorporate insect and arachnid motifs into their weapons and armor. The Spider Clan are led by a small group of shadowy figures known only as The Six, who pull the strings in parliament from behind the scenes, but whose identities are not public knowledge. Roku has an aesthetic similar to feudal Japan on Earth. The Spider Clan is locked in a bitter conflict with the Sabre Fleet over an age-old rivalry, while Roku as a whole hates the Cult of Khas because of their history of being subjugated by the dragon. * The Cult of Khas is a desert cult which worships dragons as the most powerful beings in the world. When the ancient red dragon Khas was slain by the free people of Roku, many kobolds and others who had followed Khas willingly were exiled from Roku and forced to flee into the desert. They formed compounds deep in the desert and militantly defended them against outsiders for fear of further persecution. They turned their reverence to dragons as a whole, believing the great beasts have a moral right to rule over all weaker races. As word spread, the cult became a magnet for disenfranchised kobolds, dragonborn, half-dragons, and dragon-blooded sorcerers of all races everywhere. As the cult grew, so did their belief that one day Khas would return to life, and the true believers would be afforded a place of glory under his rule. The Cult hates Roku for slaying Khas and exiling them from their ancestral homeland, and is in turn under constant pressure from Locus who sees their dragon-worship as blasphemy against Ceiling Cat.